Funky circus magic rings true underneath the UniverSoul big top

September 30, 2005|By Piet Levy, Special to the Tribune

Democrats or Republicans. Pepsi or Coke. In the circus world, there are two institutions that dominate the market--the traditional Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, and the artistic, Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil.

But there's room for another big top--UniverSoul Circus, the first touring African-American company that's been entertaining audiences for 12 seasons.

Dubbed "Hip-Hop Under the Big Top" and currently touring under the slogan, "Evolution of Soul," UniverSoul features a traditional parade of animals, acts of human daring and endurance, and comic hi-jinks orchestrated by ringmaster and show clowns. But the show is primarily set to music such as gospel and rhythm and blues, and the organization is owned and operated by African-Americans.

"The African-American community is the base of our audience," said Cecil Armstrong, who's served as the UniverSoul ringmaster under the stage name Shuckey Duckey for the past four years. "But we've got all ethnic groups that come to the circus. It's a place to let go and enjoy yourself, to escape from the mundane world. It's not based on color, it's based on entertainment."

Cedric Walker, UniverSoul's president and founder, was thrilled as a child by the circuses he saw with his mother and brother in Baltimore. As an adult, Walker first found success promoting and producing gospel plays, including "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." He then turned his attentions to creating an urban family show from which UniverSoul was born.

Presented in its first year as "The Universal Big Top Circus" in Atlanta, where the company is still based, the show was hardly a hit. But it's managed to survive and find an audience on tour, including a stop in Chicago for an engagement that concludes Oct. 23.

As it grows, UniverSoul has developed its own staples over the years. The Cossacks, from the Caribbean and Russia, perform dangerous tricks, jumps and flips on top of and under a band of speeding horses running around the circus ring. This year also features the return of Lunga, a contortionist who flexes her body in ways Gumby could only dream of.

There's also the tightrope-walking feats of the Gabonese Troupe, performed by an African ensemble that wears stilts for its act. The Wheel of Death balancing act incorporates a giant spinning wheel resembling a hamster cage. And the Caribbean Flava act demonstrates the power of limbo--which may not seem so circus-worthy, except that the limbo stick happens to be on fire.

With this year's show come a few new additions. The Shanghai Swingers will perform an elaborate flying-trapeze act for their first American audiences. And there's a local talent strutting her stuff as well--19-year-old ballerina Tovah Collins.

"I just got off the stage so I have a big rush," said Collins, calling after a recent performance in Detroit. "The audience is always wonderful."

Born and raised on the South Side, Collins has been dancing since she was 5, with encouragement from her parents.

"My parents got me and my siblings all into different activities so we wouldn't be sitting in front of the television," said Collins. "I did many things: gymnastics, art, ballet and [ballet] kind of stuck. It was girls running around in leotards, so it was fun for me."

Eventually her dancing became a serious matter. Collins credits Homer Bryant, the artistic director of the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, for improving her as a dancer, and plans to take some classes with Bryant while back in town.

Collins graduated from Chicago's Waldorf School in 2004 and was hired by UniverSoul for her ballet and modern dance skills. Her performances in Chicago will place her in front of a large audience in her hometown--and allow her to perform in front of family members and friends.

"My proud parents keep telling everybody," said Collins. "A lot of my family members and friends haven't seen me dance. I don't like them to come to my performances, I guess because I'm nervous. But they know what the dates are [for UniverSoul] so they're going to come anyway."

Her performance, which currently opens the circus, begins as a traditional ballet to the accompaniment of violinist LaTonya Peoples and the aerial ballet of Veronica Williams. Peoples then shifts to Eminem's "Lose Yourself," allowing Collins to segue from a traditional ballet to a hip-hop-influenced ballet. It's a clear example of the unique UniverSoul style.

"No one has seen a classical ballet dancer do something funky like that," said Collins, "and it's something they wouldn't expect to see from a circus. And that's what makes this circus special--because it's a traditional circus but it's a little funkier."